Sustainability in society

The German Council for Sustainable Development initiates and supports projects that aim at societal change, making sustainablity a tangible issue in everyday life. The Council stimulates the debate and aims to make sustainability a public concern.

German Sustainable Development Strategy

Advising the Federal Government on the implementation of the sustainability strategy is at the heart of the Council's work. The Council gives recommendations on the strategy's futher development and encourages steps towards reaching sustainability goals.

Sustainable Development Goals

The German Council for Sustainable Development advocates the ambitious implementation of the UN's 2030 Agenda. The global goals for sustainable development are both framework and yardstick of sustainability politics in Germany.

Sustainable development entails treating environmental aspects on an equal footing with social and economic aspects. Making this abundantly clear is one of the Council’s missions. Future-oriented management means that we have to leave future generations a globally intact ecological, social and economic system. The one cannot be achieved without the others.

Fields of Work of the German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE)

Sustainability policy in Germany

The German Sustainable Development Strategy gives sustainable development concrete shape through its goals and indicators and in so doing offers long-term orientation for sustainability policy in Germany. Various institutions – including the RNE – are tasked with ensuring that the principle of sustainability is applied throughout the federal government’s work.

The Council

Tasks and People

The Council for Sustainable Development (RNE) is an advisory board appointed by the German government. Chancellor Angela Merkel appointed 15 people of the public for a 3 year mandate from November 1st 2016.

Senior Advisor to Bank of America Merrill Lynch in Germany/EMEA; Former Minister of State Development and Environmental Affairs in the Government of Bavaria; Former CEO of the Federation of the German Industry

Expert co-opted by the German Council for Sustainable Development, Former National Chairman of the German Catholic Scout Organization (DPSG), Chairman of the Ring deutscher Pfadfinderverbände (RdP) (until 2018)